Shannon: The Untold Story
by Haven Marie
Summary: I just find Shannon to be so interesting and sympathetic that I wanted to attempt to do her a bit more justice and let her tell her story. It’s a bit romantic and dramatic, in true Shannon style.
1. Part I Lost

**_Shannon: The Untold Story_**

Alternate Ending: Takes place at the end of _Lost_, Abandoned, Episode 2.06

Rating: PG

Author: Haven Marie

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of _Lost_. They are the property of JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, ABC and … you know the drill. ;)

Author's Note: _As much as I love watching _Lost_, I was deeply disappointed by all the loose ends Shannon's story left untied. So many aspects of her life never came into light: What happened to her husband and marriage, her relationship with her father, what inspired her, her early childhood and strained relationship with Boone? On the other hand, she will always be a bit of an intrigue this way. I just find Shannon to be so interesting and sympathetic that I wanted to attempt to do her a bit more justice and let her tell her story. It's a bit romantic and dramatic, in true Shannon style.__ (It also features Sayid, as he was the only character who seemed to have a similar understanding of her, and a bit of Jack.) _

_I've never written this type of story before, so thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it! _

**Part I. Lost**

Sayid gathered her cold, limp body carefully and lovingly into his arms, touching the side of her face gently in that now familiar gesture. Only this time he knew it was different. This time it was meant only to bring comfort to himself; Shannon no longer needed him. Slowly, feeling dead and heavy himself, he lifted her and began walking toward the beach.

He would not think about what had passed between them only moments before, the moment of connection and understanding that he had craved since that day long ago. Her smile had been solely for him and later that night she had sought him out and sang to him in her lovely haunting voice. He would not think of the moment she escaped from his arms and ran headlong into the jungle. The single moment that had cost Shannon her life, and both of them their new life together. And all of their hopes and expectations went along with it.

He would simply continue moving, not thinking, not remembering, and most importantly, not feeling, and he would carry her toward the home he had built for the last time.

He was distantly aware of passing Jack at some point, accompanied by the imposing dark stranger who had attacked him earlier, but he said nothing. He then shifted Shannon slightly in his arms, nuzzling her cheek against his own.

Her weight shifted again, but this time, Sayid wasn't aware of moving her. He startled for only a moment before turning back and calling out Jack's name, in a voice harsh and wavering that he didn't recognize as his own. "Help her, please!"

Jack ran up quickly, reaching for the woman, whose dangling left hand was twitching slightly. "Give her to me! Run back to the caves, get my black bag, alcohol, any supplies nearby, and bring them to the hatch! Go!"

Shannon moaned faintly as Sayid transferred her into the doctor's capable arms. He winced at her vocalization of pain, and with one reluctant glance back, took off at full speed.


	2. Part II Recovered

**Part II. Recovered **

That Shannon had survived at all perplexed Jack, but stranger things had happened, especially since the crash. Still, he didn't count on fate alone to spare lives, so he remained at her side by the bunk bed.

The harsh overhead lighting and the scent from the sterilizing alcohol he used reminded him powerfully of his time as a surgeon at St. Sebastian Hospital, but the complete lack of modern medical technology he needed frustrated him to no end. He could only guess at the extent of her injury and curse himself if he got it wrong.

Meanwhile, he had his limited supplies and had scoured the hatch locating more. He used the syringes Desmond had left behind to transfuse his own blood. He had cephalexin to prevent infection. That was her greatest danger since the bleeding had stopped a while ago and he had removed the bullet and stitched the deep wound with his usual painstaking precision. Then he could only wait….

Several days later, Shannon continued to sleep restlessly under the watchful gaze of Sayid's soulful black eyes. She had repeatedly tangled up and kicked away the thick wool blanket that covered her body. He patiently replaced it each time.

Sayid had lived through his share of tragedy and despair, and firmly believed he was a stronger man because of it. He had hoped to protect Shannon from it. Instinct told him she had lived through her fair share of it already, and it was obvious she was as troubled by her past as he was by his.

They were two souls haunted by their own consciences, not merely by the ghost of Walt.

This revelation only brought him more guilt. Perhaps if he had listened to her rationally about her vision in the first place instead of allowing her to feel she carried the burden of finding the boy alone. He could have at least spent that precious time at peace with her, learning more of her rather than arguing with her.

There was so much he did not know about her, and she about him.

_When had this woman transformed from a total stranger on a plane, to an ally, to a friend, to a lover, and perhaps even something more? How was it possible to pinpoint those exact moments in such a short period of time?_ Sayid wondered.

Everything had happened so quickly since the crash. Nothing seemed real at times, yet everything seemed to be of so much greater consequence and deeper meaning. It was as though they no longer existed in real time, rendering it nearly impossible to compare their current lives to their previous ones. They had been thrown together in their own separate universe – _or deserted island in the very least_, he thought wryly.

Sayid was uncertain where he stood exactly on the argument between fate and coincidence, but his mind was rational and capable so he would attempt to make the best of the situation in order to survive – and perhaps someday feel whole and happy.

As if on cue, his thoughts returned to Shannon.

Her eyes fluttered open drowsily and she shivered without her blanket. "Sayid – I'm cold."


	3. Part III Abandoned

**Part III. Abandoned**

Slowly regaining strength, and promising Jack and Sayid that she wouldn't leave the hatch alone or walk far, Shannon needed to get up. She appreciated what Jack had done for her – literally saved her life. He was worn out and looked almost as bad as she figured she did.

Sayid was overprotective as usual, constantly trying to comfort her and prevent her from exhausting herself. Honestly, she was getting exhausted from his coddling and didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him.

She had asked to be alone for a while, telling them both she was going to clean up in the shower – and she could take care of herself.

Her entire upper body was so sore and her lower body so cramped she could barely move. She kept her back to the water to protect her injured chest, and the massaging water pressure actually soothed her. She got out only when the water had run completely cold, and grabbed an oversized towel to wrap carefully around her shoulders.

Shannon knew she had been shot and she was lucky to be alive. She didn't remember the girl who had shot her, having only a split second glimpse of her through the rain. She assumed the other castaways had understood and forgiven the trigger-happy girl, though, for the accident. They were good people. _And would they have cared _that_ much even if she had died? All she ever did was sulk and cry._

No one besides Sayid ever _really_ talked to her, or asked her for help. Not really. The people on the island had abandoned her just like everyone before, and it was her fault.

This was supposed to be her new life. She wasn't going to be remembered – or_ not _remembered – that way. She wasn't going to let that happen. _She_ wanted to be the first one to forgive Trigger.

Just as soon as Jack and Sayid stopped being all mother hen and let her out of the stupid hatch.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't even recognize this part of the hatch. She had only gone into it once out of curiosity – actually more boredom than curiosity – knowing that she would soon have to take a shift pushing Locke's stupid button for no stupid reason. The place gave her the creeps for some reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. Not that she'd say anything. Everyone would just roll their eyes and think, _Listen to that useless bitch – she'll say anything just to get out of having to work!_

Or maybe she was biased since that freak of nature, Locke, had taken such an obvious interest in it.

She mentally shrugged Locke off, and inspected the rest of the "bathroom" area. Then immediately decided it wasn't such a good idea, detecting a large mirror along the wall.

"Damn it!" she hissed, disgustedly noting the dark circles under her eyes, the gaunt skin stretched across face, and worst of all, the stitched up gash across her left rib, emphasized by a large, ugly albeit very colorful bruise that indicated excessive bleeding.


	4. Part IV Past Life

**Part IV. Past Life **

"You are still beautiful. And more importantly, you will soon be well." Shannon swung around surprised, a lock of damp hair clinging to the side of her face, and instinctively hitched the towel higher at the sound of his deep accented voice. She furrowed her brow and regarded him suspiciously, preparing to snap at him for lying to her, but she stopped herself.

"I need to tell you something. It's important."

"Shannon, you should rest now. You need your strength."

She gathered her clean clothes and they walked back to her bed, but she was determined to be completely honest with him. "I'm okay. It's important. Please just listen, okay?"

Her voice seemed to take on strength this time, as she reinforced her point. "I want you to know how much it means to me that you believe in me."

She swallowed and then smiled weakly before continuing. "My dad used to believe in me, but he was the only one. My mom died of cancer when I was a baby, so it was just us two for a long time. Before Boone and his mom…Sabrina…. I told you, remember?" she asked, remembering that romantic night by the campfire when she last revealed her past to him, neither of them knowing it was to be Boone's last night.

Sayid tenderly kissed her hand. "I remember," he replied, not quite understanding the direction her story was taking, but remembering that night all too well. "I remember everything you tell me." He smiled warmly.

She returned the smile, flashing even white teeth, and continued. "We had money, or Dad did, but I didn't know we were rich when I was little. I didn't care. He liked to buy me things. He looked so proud when he made me happy, and I was happy. He loved me. I think I reminded him of her… Mom; he looked at me sometimes, like really happy, and said she would've loved me too, because we were so much alike.

"One time he bought me this dress. A tutu. I was only like, five. It twirled when I spun around, and I liked it, so I wore it all the time. I decided to be a dancer then. I knew all my life what I'd be – I'm stubborn like that," she smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling and shining at the memory.

"I got this internship to teach at this really prestigious dance school. There was a one in three thousand chance, but I worked _so hard_ and I finally got it…." Her lips trembled with the suppression of tears. "But Dad died. Sabrina hated me. She knew how much he loved me, and I think maybe because I reminded him of my mom, she resented me, and cut me off when it hurt the most" she explained slowly, softly. "I suddenly didn't have any money, or anyone who believed in me, or any way to do what was so important… and I was so close."

Cold tears coursed down Shannon's clammy cheeks. Sayid pressed her tightly into his shoulder, cupping her neck with one hand and stroking her back soothingly with the other. He hated that he could feel her anguish so acutely. He was not sure when that had happened, but he found that he always could lately.


	5. Part V New Life

**Part V. New Life**

"Everything fell apart after that, and so did I," Shannon raged bitterly. "I married that French guy – the one I told you about with the little boy. He said it would be easier to bring me to France if we got married. His daughter, Sophie, liked me at least… I think. Anyway, he wore a nice suit and had nice manners – _at first_ – and made me think he was a nice guy. A real Prince Charming. But he was really a liar, a jerk and a cheat," she spat out.

"He used to really hurt me…." Shannon sucked in her breath hard, determined not to shed one tear for over the pain Philippe had caused. _He had relished seeing her broken, the manipulating, power-crazed bastard. _"But I couldn't leave because I couldn't let anyone see me that way and feel sorry for me…. That and I didn't have anywhere to go.

"The bad part is, he ruined my life. The good part is," she smiled sardonically, "I learned from the best scumbag out there. I _needed_ a way out….

So I asked Boone to help me. I knew he would come for me… he always did," she admitted quietly. "It wasn't the last time either. Only the first time, he got to be a hero and rescue the damsel like he wanted. All the other times, it was – I duped him. I was just…desperate and using good people, using Boone – not just for money like everyone thought, but to prove something – that I could still _do_ something, _feel_ something! When he found out and got sick of it, he called me on it. He was mad and I was madder, so I – I slept with him."

Her tone suddenly became more forceful. "I don't want that to happen again, and I don't want to _be_ that again! I don't want you to leave me, and I don't want to leave either!"

Unsure of how to continue and unable to discern his reaction from the sudden silence that stretched between them, she quickly glanced up.

"Shannon, I meant everything I said to you," he said softly, touching her cheek. She looked closely at him, scrutinizing his face for any sign of disgust. She saw only compassion, and something much deeper. He had called it love before, and she finally believed him.

"I love you, Sayid," she whispered moments later.

"I love you, too, Shannon."

She looked at him earnestly for a moment, silently contemplating the night he had made good on his promise to love her. Their last night of passion together. Their bodies entwined and their needs completely satisfied. She remembered kissing every inch of his warm copper skin as he held her in his arms, languidly caressing her in their sexual afterglow.

He had vowed to protect her that night, and knowing what she now knew of him, Shannon was determined that she would hold him and protect him in return.

She smiled enticingly. "I want to go back to my tent now. Please."

His only response was to smile and lift her lovingly into his arms and carry her toward the home he had built.

_Fin._


End file.
